You're My Breath of Fresh Air
by TheeAnonymousFangirl
Summary: When Maura has an asthma attack, there is only one person who can help her. Jane. With Jane's help, Maura can overcome anything. She might even be able to overcome the fear of telling Jane how she feels. {Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show}


"Hi"

Maura smiled at the familiar voice of her best friend behind her. Jane was so close that the blonde could feel the detective's breath on her neck.

"Hi, Jane"

Maura slowly turned so she was facing Jane. Maura's breath got caught in her throat as she came to face just how close Jane was to her. The brunette smirked and took a few steps back to give the doctor her space.

Jane's smirk quickly turned into a look of fear when Maura's breathing didn't return. Frantically Jane took Maura into her arms and moved her to the chair by the door. Crouching down in front of her, Jane took Maura's hands and placed them behind her head while bending her forward so her head was close to her knees.

"Maura! Maura honey, baby where's your inhaler?"

Through her wheezes, Maura was able to answer.

"Office, top le-"

She went into a fit of coughs.

"left drawer."

Jane stood up and quickly kissed the top of Maura's head before sprinting through the door that connects the autopsy room and Maura's office.

She yanked open the drawer that Maura said her inhaler would be in. As she tore through the stack of papers and various other items, she spotted the bright pink inhaler in the back of the drawer. She momentarily let her mind flash to when she went with Maura to get the ugly thing and briefly smiled.

 _"Maura you cannot get that awful color!"_

 _"Jane, if I am required to have this thing, then I will get it in the color I want."_

 _"Can't you at least get it in a less distracting shade of pink?"_

 _Maura looked at Jane with those beautiful eyes and her soft smile, and Jane knew she was going to lose this battle._

 _"Fine Maura, you can get the bright pink."_

That was when Jane had first found out about Maura's asthma. Now here she was, leaving the drawer wide open and running back to her best friend.

"Maura, I'm here."

Jane took Maura's hand and wrapped her fingers around the inhaler, leading it to her mouth.

Maura took three deep inhales of the medicine that sprayed out of the pink distraction. Slowly, her breathing began to return to normal.

Jane moved from her crouched position to share the chair with the blonde. Cradling Maura in her arms, Jane let herself think about the first time she encountered one of Maura's attacks.

 _"Maura!"_

 _Jane walked through Maura's front door and kicked off her shoes. Closing the door behind her, she began to make her way up the stairs._

 _"If you're in bed, please tell me you have clothes on!"_

 _Jane laughed to herself as she remembered Maura telling her she slept in the nude._

 _The detective reached the doctor's door. Slowly she turned the knob and walked in, silently closing the door behind her. Just as she thought, Maura was fast asleep. Jane moved to the dresser and opened the top drawer, smiling at the clean clothes Maura had put in the drawer just for her. She quickly changed and moved to the bed. Jane climbed onto her side of the bed. Just as she was about to lay down, Maura shot up and smacked her on the thigh._

 _"Ow Maura what the he-"_

 _Jane looked over at Maura and the moonlight that seeped in through the window, highlighted the fear on Maura's face._

 _Jane quickly turned on the light and turned her attention to her best friend._

 _"Maura? Maura what's going on?"_

 _She didn't respond. Instead, she began to wheeze. She put her head between her knees and tried to take deep breaths._

 _Jane's heart was pounding like crazy and she didn't know what to do. She heard something that sounded like a whisper._

 _"What?"_

 _"Inhaler"_

 _"Inhaler? What? Wait, Maura do you have asthma?"_

 _Jane saw something that sort of looked like a nod._

 _"Oh my gosh Maura where is it?"_

 _"Bathroom."_

 _Jane jumped off the bed, nearly tripping in the sheets in the process, and ran into the bathroom._

 _She didn't spot it on the counter, so she began pulling open drawers. In the middle drawer she found something that looked like it might resemble something that gave oxygen. She grabbed it and ran back into the bedroom. She handed it to Maura and watched in fascination as the blonde worked with such ease._

 _As her breathing returned to normal, Maura looked up at Jane. She weakly smiled and Jane smiled back._

 _"Why didn't you tell me, Maur?"_

 _"I-I was embarrassed."_

 _Jane moved closer to Maura and placed her hand on her knee._

 _"You have nothing to be embarrassed of."_

 _Maura could see the sincerity in Jane's eyes and it warmed her heart._

 _"What caused the attack?"_

 _"Well, I was having a nightmare and then I felt the bed move. I went into instant panic, causing the attack."_

 _"Maur, I'm sorry."_

 _"Don't be Jane, it wasn't your fault."_

 _They fell into a moment of silence that Jane broke._

 _"Also, what the hell is that?"_

 _Jane pointed to the strange looking device sitting on Maura's lap._

 _Maura laughed before responding._

 _"This is my mini oxygen tank."_

 _"You said inhaler!"_

 _"Well, as you could tell, I was in no condition to describe exactly what I needed. I figured the item you would be most familiar with, was an inhaler."_

 _"You have to carry that thing with you?"_

 _"Yes, but I'm getting a real inhaler on Thursday. Would you like to come with me?"_

 _Jane smiled._

 _"I'd love to."_

Jane snapped out of her flashback and looked down to make sure Maura was alright. She seemed to be in her own world, so she left her alone to finish calming down.

Maura had panicked a bit, she wasn't going to lie. However, being cradled in Jane's arms now, she realized that she's never felt safer. She thought back to all the times Jane had been there for her, not only with her asthma attacks, but with everything in her life. Jane is her savior, and she always will be.

Maura moved her head from its resting position on Jane's shoulder, and looked up into the brunette's eyes.

"Hi"

Maura smiled weakly.

"Hi," she responded.

They settled into a few more moments of silence until Maura broke it.

"You're my breath of fresh air."

Jane looked down to meet green eyes.

"What?"

Maura took a deep breath for what was about to come.

"Jane, you are my breath of fresh air. You've always been there for me and helped me when I needed it. When you found out about my asthma, you didn't leave me like others have, you stuck by me. I can never repay you for what you've done for me. You're an amazing person and I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend and….and I love you."

Jane reached out to cup Maura's chin and raise it up so they were staring deeply into eachothers eyes. They both knew what was coming, and it's what they both wanted. Maura leaned forward to capture Jane's lips with her own. It was a tender kiss. It was a promise. A promise that they would always be there for eachother because not only was Jane Maura's breath of fresh air, Maura was Jane's too.


End file.
